The New Room Edit

The last time my bedroom in my family home was redecorated was twelve years ago. I was eight years old and obsessed with the colour purple and giraffes. The wallpaper I chose at that age was hideously thick and covered in tiny leaves, which transferred through to any poster I had up, and my furniture was bulky and old fashioned. I had absolutely no taste as a youngster.

The posters changed drastically over the years (to cover up the god awful wallpaper). From Twilight, Paramore and Muse (my twelve-year-old emo phase was in full swing) to every single poster of One Direction available in 2011. But nothing else changed; all the choices I made as an eight year old remained with me through my teenage years and my childhood dream bedroom started to become a place that my older self did not want to spend time in.

I studied in the dining room or at school or college so, other than sleeping, I had no reason to be in my room at all. To be honest, I saw the room as purely functional and wasn't too fussed about having my 'own space'. It was only after I began to think about my life after university and decided I was going to have to move back home that I realised my bedroom certainly wasn't going to be fit for a freshly graduated twenty one year old. 

My parents had been talking about redoing my room for a while but we never set anything in stone. There was certainly no hurry, especially as I was at my university accommodation most of the time. But this summer my mum was determined to get the decorating done so we got started. 

I'm pretty sure on my current tastes and don't think they're likely to change much as I grow older now. I've refined my interior fancies (thanks Pinterest) over a long time and felt like I could really design a room with longevity. That way, if things don't go to plan and I end up living with my parents well into my twenties, then at least I'll have a small fraction of what I hope to have in my future home.

My main vision was a clean, modern bedroom with accents of my favourite colours thrown in against the monochrome walls and furniture. I love yellows and pinks and wanted to inject these colours through soft furnishings and decor. I also added touches of texture through wood and a few bits of greenery (fake obviously as I can barely look after myself).

Almost all my furniture came from Ikea, meaning I could redecorate for a moderately cheap price whilst still getting some beautiful pieces. My desk chair was an eBay find and couldn't be more perfect for the vision I was going for.

In terms of accoutrements, I had been collecting things for a while, mostly for my uni rooms. I did make one main decor purchase and that was my lamp from Oliver Bonas, but most of the other bits and bobs were picked up from places like Tiger, Sainsbury's (seriously, they have some amazing things) and trusty Ikea.

In terms of artwork, gone are the days of wall to wall 1D posters. I wanted to keep things fairly minimal so I have a few prints up and pieces I've collected from various galleries. 

I'm so happy with how everything turned out and it couldn't be a nicer room to chill or do work in...I certainly didn't like having to bid it goodbye for a while to move in to my tatty student house.

Baker Boy

I've officially converted myself into a hat person. They're one of my favourite ways to accessorise at the moment and this baker boy hat has been a frequent addition to many of my outfits. I was a bit nervous about ordering it at first as I usually prefer hats with a wide brim to conceal how round and moon-like my face is, but this one might just work for me. I think the trick is to wear it with my hair falling over my ears which adds some shadow and gives a vague illusion of some cheekbones.

I'm in the middle of transitioning my wardrobe for the colder months and this blouse from Asos has been a great addition. It's also perhaps the most flattering item of clothing I own with its low cut neckline and synched in waist. I love the lightweight material, which is perfect for the temperamental September weather, and the long sleeves that will be great for the coming cold. 

Hat: Asos

Blouse: Asos

Jeans: Asos

Boots: Zara

Bag: Primark

Sunglasses: H&M

Red and White

I shot this outfit a few weeks back when it was still somewhat summery. I loved the asymmetric neckline and collar on this shirt and the colours made me feel like I should be working in an ice cream van or something. However, as Autumn draws ever closer, I quickly find myself replacing light-weight shirts for jumpers and blankets. I've fully succumb to the colder weather now and I'm so ready for the oncoming chill and, whilst I have enjoyed dressing for summer these last few months, nothing can beat a good winter coat and a scarf. 

As I'm in the midst of packing to return to uni for my third and final year,  I had to decide which of my children (clothes) got to come with me and which get left behind. It was a bit sad stashing away my summer clothes and getting the knitwear out again; summer dressing isn't really my thing but I've enjoyed getting to grips with it this year.

 Also I've obviously decided that it's going to be freezing this winter up in the midlands as 75% of my suitcase is filled with jumpers. 

Shirt: Topshop

Jeans: Vintage

Sunglasses: Primark

Birchbox X Oliver Bonas: September Box Review

I've been receiving my monthly box of goodies from Birchbox for about 5 months now. I'm a sucker for mini-sized products and was drawn in to the subscription service for the prospect of trying out some new brands. 

In case you're unsure, Birchbox offers 5 tailored beauty and lifestyle products a month to be sent to your doorstop for £12.95 p/m. A big selling point for the company is the promise of personalised products especially for your skin and hair type, tastes etc. This was definitely one thing that drew me to the service as I feel that there're so many brands out there now that it can be hard to figure out what you want/need when choosing new beauty bits. Birchbox offers to take that stress away from you by having you fill out a beauty profile to help them choose products you'll hopefully love and use each month. 

I've been pretty impressed with my previous boxes; as a newbie, I enjoyed the selections I was sent each month- a majority of which centred round skin and hair care (dry skin and bleached hair probs). 

But as I got more accustomed to the service, the magic started to wear off. I was finding my boxes pretty repetitive and filled with things I didn't really care about. Cancelling did cross my mind, but Birchbox managed to grab me for another month by collaborating with one of my favourite brands for the September box- Oliver Bonas.

Oliver Bonas is home decor heaven for me. I'm endlessly scrolling through their website and mentally planning my home that I'll never be able to afford (a millennial can dream right?). I thought that this collab might just have been made for me, so I decided to stick around for another month. 

When my box arrived at my door the other week, I couldn't wait to open it. I already knew my box design as I had chosen from the two options, plus I knew I had a candle as I'd ordered that as an add-on to this month's box. As for the contents, I was so excited to see what should have been the perfect selection of products to accompany the perfect box design. But as I clawed my way through the sellotape and struck gold, sliding the box open, I couldn't be more disappointed.

My box included:

• Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle: A vegan, paraben- and sulphate-free leave-in mist which conditions, detangles and minimises frizz, while safeguarding colour and adding shine. It also provides protection against UV rays and heat and is suitable for all hair-types.

• ARROW BOOST Colour Enhancing Lip Balm: A Birchbox brand, this ARROW lip balm adapts to the pH level in your skin to produce a colour tailored to suit you best. Containing mango seed butter, this product will nourish and protect your lips.

• Polaar IcyMagic Instant Eye Contour Energiser: With Siberian ginseng to tone and brighten, plus a cooling gel formula, this product instantly rejuvenates the under-eye area.

• Manna Kadar Cosmetics Fantasy 3-in-1 Eyeshadow: A pearlescent pink powder that can be used as a sheen on the eyes and also as a blush and highlighter to give your skin a pretty glow.

• Dr. PawPaw Original Clear Balm- Yellow: This balm boasts natural healing qualities, giving this product a multitude of hydrating uses. From moisturiser to lip balm and split end-sealer to sunburn-soother, it delivers an instant moisture boost wherever you need it.

The products themselves are fine thus far; I love the subtlety of the eyeshadow and I'm always a fan of a good lip balm. However my problem lies with the fact that the box didn't particularly offer me anything new. Fair enough, it was very skin-care focussed which is great for me as I'm a big fan of a good skincare routine. But looking on Instagram, I found that endless amounts of people had the exact same products, kind of making the whole 'personalised' aspect redundant. 

I felt like I'd received the same sort of products as I had in previous boxes, plus these products felt too repetitive even just in this box; who really needs two lip balms at once? I loved the bonuses of the stickers and the 15% Oliver Bonas discount, plus the candle smells wonderful but that was something I paid extra for (albeit at a discounted price compared to buying from OB directly). I just felt like I wasn't getting my money's worth this month and it made me reflect on how I felt with previous boxes. As much as I love the idea of Birchbox, I think I might have to cancel my subscription as £12.95 p/m can add up, especially if you're not getting what you had hoped for. 

Interestingly, whilst looking through the Birchbox Instagram, I found that many people were commenting on pictures and had similar opinions to mine. I can only hope that the company take these comments on board and have a revamp of future boxes to bring back the initial excitement in the customer.

80's Inspo

I've been heavily inspired by 80s/early 90s fashion at the moment. I bought this beret as part of a costume for a themed party but it's been creeping into my recent looks, especially after seeing THIS editorial pic and desperately wanting to recreate it. There's just something so chic about the beret and I just had to incorporate it into my latest endeavor to become uber stylish and obtain a cool gal status.

Perhaps styling it with a striped shirt and some sultry shades is bordering on too extra and wannabe French, but I don't even care because I love this look so much. For something so comfortable and everyday (I mean, the outfit is primarily a t-shirt and a pair of jeans- pretty basic), the outfit also manages to look so put together thanks to the accessories.

Statement earrings have been my go-to recently for jazzing up a look, especially ones that are a bit quirky. I'm building up quite a collection of these minimalist face-shaped earrings as I just think they're SO cool. V artsy and contemporary.

I'm also trying to get some wear out of these sunglasses; it's taken some courage to be able to wear them as they're probably a bit too cool for someone like me to be wearing, but I love them (and spent too much money on them) to not.

The white jeans I'm wearing are SO high waisted and I'm obsessed. They're a vintage pair from my mum and fit so perfectly. They're that sort of straight leg/skinny mum-jean style that's just unbelievably flattering, especially if you have a smaller waist and bigger hips like myself. I've been wearing them with everything recently, whilst also getting over my fear of wearing white jeans (I swear it takes me 1 minute to get a mark on them).

Beret: Amazon

Top: Topshop

Jeans: Vintage

Shoes: Topshop

Earrings: Mango

Sunglasses: Topshop